Book Review: Celia Planted a Garden
Karen Meyers Phyllis Root and Gary Schmidt introduce young readers to the life of Celia Laughton Thaxter, New England poet, artist, gardener, and nature lover, in their book, Celia Planted a Garden.…
Book Review: Discovering Dahlias
Erin Benzakein, author and farmer-florist, presents a guide for growing and arranging dahlias, in her book, Discovering Dahlias. After introducing the great variety in dahlia size, form, and color, the…
Growing Plants from Seed: Sunflower (Helianthus spp.)
Karen Sunflowers are a very large group consisting of both annulas and perennials. 150 species. The most popular sunflower for gardens is the annual, Helianthus annus, but there are many good…
Book Review: Martha’s Flowers
Martha Stewart and her Executive Design Director Kevin Sharkey, collaborated on this book, Martha’s Flowers, that celebrates home grown flowers and the arrangements that can be made with them.. The…
Book Review: The Gardener’s Guide to Common-Sense Pest Control
The Gardener’s Guide to Common-Sense Pest Control explains the concepts and techniques of an environmentally sensitive approach to pest management that uses information on pest life cycles and their interaction…
Book Review: Crepe Paper Flowers
Crepe paper flower are making a comeback and Lia Griffith’s book, Crepe Paper Flowers, and an excellent guide to making your own. Griffith introduces readers to the different kinds of…
Book Review: Kaffe Fassett’s Bold Blooms
Internationally known artist and textile designer, Kaffe Fassett shares his passion for flowers in the decorative arts in his book Bold Blooms. Strongly concerned with color and design, Fassett reveals…
Book Review: Compost! Growing Gardens from Your Garbage
Linda Glazer’s book, Compost! Growing Gardens from Your Garbage, is a simple introduction to composting. In the words of a little girl, it tells the story of how a family…
Collecting Seed: Foxglove (Digitalis purpurea)
There are about twenty species of Digitalis and of those about four a good garden plants. One of these, common foxglove (D. purpurea), is the most popular and the one…
Collecting Seed: Hollyhock (Alcea rosea)
Hollyhocks are handsome plants that give the garden vertical movement and bring a touch of nostalgia. They are usually treated as biennials so that seeds are collected in summer and…